My lab seeks to reconstitute the complex interface between mechanical and chemical signaling in the context of cell migration in complex microenvironments and tissue crowding. When cells grow or move within dense microenvironments their nuclei are subjected to different degrees of deformation. We investigate the mechanisms underlying cell behavior and fate in scenarios where cells experience mechanical stress. We combine several fluorescent microscopy approaches with microfluidics, microfabrication techniques and organ-on-a chip devices to apply controlled and precise confinement to cultured cells and impose different degrees of mechanical stress to their nuclei.